Script writing, especially writing a script pertaining to a corporate film needs a more than thorough understanding of the subject and the ability to imbibe knowledge so much and so comprehensively that when the script finally takes shape, it effortlessly becomes the story being told by a veritable expert.

Credibility then is as much the key to a script’s character as is Creativity.

And thus is born the logic of ‘you can write a better script if you are in a better location, a better frame of mind’ and so on. While the commercially driven mind trains itself to function in the most mundane of surroundings, a shift in locale to a more exotic, a more picturesque or even a more peaceful environment has been known to facilitate scripts from a higher orbit, scripts from the other side of brilliance.

I have been writing scripts almost the whole of my advertising life having written my first at the age of eleven or twelve. And I do believe that my strong point or my ‘USP’ is the power of the script that I create to hold together the many presentations I have had the good fortune to tailor.

Naturally patterns have emerged. I prefer to write my scripts early in the morning. Around 4 am to be precise. And I normally take 3 hours to write my first draft if the script is for a 5 – 7 minute presentation. Then I take a quick nap and at around 10 am. after a relook at the script and if necessary a rewrite, my scripts are normally ready by noon.

While I did begin my journey into this fascinating world by painstakingly handwriting every word, it was not long before I migrated to the manual typewriter and then to the portable much to the annoyance of my neighbours who used to curse the erratic pounding of keys at unearthly hours.

The advent of the PC changed a lot of things and most of my scripts in the last two decades have been digital in terms of origin.

And most of my scripts I have written at home on a dining table that is over 40 years old and a writing table that’s about 30 years of age.

But there have been scripts that I have had to write on the move and in different locations due to the pressure of time or what have you. I was reminiscing about the strange locales that have hosted my script writing endeavours and that’s when it struck me that perhaps the experiences were worth sharing with my friends, family and other loved ones.

Perhaps it’s a futile attempt to explain my insanity, perhaps a shot at rationalising my erratic timelines, or perhaps a cheap thrill of showing off my dexterity. Whatever the reason, here goes...enjoy!!!

My favourite script story is that of Brooke Bond Tea.

Brooke Bond commissioned me to conceptualise and produce a 60-90 minute documentary for teenagers and adolescents that could explain to them in an entertaining fashion the entire story of tea – from ‘leaf to lip’ as they said.

Appreciating that I needed first hand experience with the subject Brooke Bond organised a three month study tour of the tea industry for me. I was taken to the North East, I was taken to the South, and I was force fed hours and hours of footage featuring the tea growing habits of Srilanka and China etc. Huge tomes with interesting and age old anecdotes connected to tea were given to me for study. And to make sure I was instantly available Brooke Bond suggested that I camp in Bangalore for a month or so, so that I could evolve my script in close cooperation with the client.

I used to in those days, stay at the Windsor Manor Hotel. And luckily the hotel made my long stay there more attractive by offering attractive discounts on my bill.

My pattern underwent a small change in those days, specifically for the Brooke Bond job. I used to spend most of the day at Whitefield, the Brooke Bond Headquarters and having collected relevant data, I would come back to the hotel a little after lunch and then hit the sack. Waking up around seven or so, I’d organise a working dinner in my room and spend the better part of the night writing the script for the chapter I was working on.

I would send my manuscript to the Business Centre early in the morning and then collapse into bed before dragging myself out at 10 am for a hurried breakfast. My script in the meanwhile would have been typed neatly on the electric typewriter that ITC had in their Business Centre which I would photocopy and take along with me to Brooke Bond for discussions with the client.

As I said I stayed at the hotel for a month and a half. The bill for my stay was not alarming but what did knock the socks off my feet was the Business Centre bill. With typing charges @ Rs, 25/- per page and photocopying rates @ Rs. 10/- per page, my script which was eventually frozen and bound at 80 odd pages (including several rewrites etc.) cost me in the late 1980s the princely sum of almost a lakh of rupees.

To this day I look upon the script that I wrote ‘The Tea Story’ as one of the most entertaining and most authentic in that domain, and is one of my personal favourites.

There was a time in the late 70s and early 80s before I got married that I used to take a annual break from wherever I was working (Chennai, Bangalore, Mumbai etc.) and come back to Hyderabad and check into the Nature Cure Hospital at Ameerpet for a month long clean up and detox kind of course that also helped me to balance my weight.

Normally I would maintain a very low profile during my stay at the facility but there was this time when my agency reached out to me with an SOS. Novopan, a Hyderabad based client needed an audio visual and the job had been assigned to me. I refused to take up the assignment stating that I had already checked in for treatment.

To cut a long story short the compromise my agency worked out for me meant that while I was undergoing treatment for a month I would have to work with the client and the agency executives to write the script and get it approved, and then after my discharge I could then proceed to shoot as per the script around the country and deliver their AV in a nice three month timeline.

To sweeten the pot, the agency also offered to foot my hospital bill.

Thus began a most fascinatingly funny month at the Nature Cure Hospital. Every day after treatment I would be allowed to receive visitors from Novopan who would in turn brief me about the product and the process involved. And all I could offer them was a glass of lime water and honey.

The script went on to becoming a comprehensive documentary on the particle board industry and its adaptations continued to teach carpenters and convertors about the use of the Novopan for many years to come. Today, when I see how Novopan and similar products have made comfortable niches in the markets, I can’t but help feel a certain amount of pride in having developed this sector, all those many years ago.

One of the agencies I used to consult for in Mumbai for many years was O & M. A lot of my UB related work was done for that fine agency and in fact I owe them a debt of gratitude for having introduced me to Vijay Mallya who later went on to be a direct client of mine and a partner in some of my ventures.

O & M in those days had their offices in Apeejay Chambers near Churchgate and they normally put us up or encouraged us to stay at the Ritz Hotel which was a stone’s throw away from their offices.

The Ritz was a wonderfully quaint and warm hotel but it was sadly uninspiring and was not quite writer friendly. The table they used to give in the rooms was too small and the chairs too uncomfortable to contemplate any serious writing in that venerable hotel.

Which is when I discovered the Sea Lounge at the Taj Mahal.

This first floor outlet at the Apollo Bunder facility was quiet, luxurious and offered me window seats that overlooked the Gateway of India and the Arabian Sea. Especially on a rainy day the view was stunning. And because very few people came there it became my daytime workspace.

I would take a few note pads, all the relevant data and a few pens and proceed to write in the corner, savouring my cappuccinos, munching my freshly crisped potato chips and puff away my nicotine.

Needless to say the scripts that I managed to write from here turned out to be quite tranquil and very soothing. And I had a ball.

There have been several other places that gave me opportunities to use them as work stations and I remember all of them fondly. Maybe one of these days I will continue this saga...until then...Aloha!!!